Never Alone
by Alexithymea
Summary: A short one shot with Charon/F!LW. This is an actual glitch I encountered during the Point Lookout trip. I had left Charon at my house and expected to find him again in Ninth Circle. Totally didn't happen. Songfic to BarlowGirl's Never Alone. I labeled it 'Friendship' but it could be romance if you squint just right.


_I waited for you today_

_But you didn't show, no no no_

_I needed you today_

_So where did you go?_

The Lone Wanderer, Martyr, Vault Legend, Saint, the many names they came up with for her, a simple girl from a vault who was searching for her father, made her switch off the sound of Three Dog's voice. He had names enough, and she didn't need to listen to them.

Not as she sat in Ninth Circle, her eyes on the corner where he stood when she first met him. He was owned by the barkeeper, an evil ghoul in so many ways, and she talked him into selling his contract to her. She still remembered that moment she walked up to him and he realized he was no longer bound to the man he hated with such a passion.

He should have been here when she arrived. That long trip had separated them, but he should have been here. There was no reason for him not to be. But now, she sat at the table and waited for him to come through that door, to see his ravaged face again. Even though he was a ghoul, there was nothing more she wanted to see than his tall figure and his pale eyes.

_You told me to call_

_Said you'd be there_

_And though I haven't seen you_

_Are you still there?_

The one agreement they always had was that he would await her return at Ninth Circle. It was a comfortable place for him, somewhere he wasn't outcasted. But he wasn't here. She took another sip from her drink, setting the empty bottle on the table as she stood. There was nothing more to wait for since he wasn't here.

Did something happen to him? Would she be traveling the metro towards Megaton and suddenly trip over his body?

It bothered her that she didn't know. And no one she asked knew. As she walked from the bar and out into the central room of Underworld, people hailed her as a savior. She didn't feel much like a savior, though, as she slid out into the museum and past the ruined desk, out into the Mall. She felt like a failure at not having found him, even if she knew he had to be somewhere.

_And though I can not see you_

_And I can't explain why_

_Such a deep, deep reassurance_

_You've placed in my life_

She could handle herself. That wasn't the problem. She didn't need him around to protect her anymore. Even if his tall presence following her was a certain form of comfort. She knew that she could deal with anything in front of her. He had taught her that much.

She could almost hear his voice as she crouched down to avoid detection from the super mutants in the area. The gravely words that had accompanied her through most every journey she had taken since meeting him all those months ago.

"I don't like the look of this place."

A super mutant was standing too close and she slipped into the metro, traveling at a steady pace back to Megaton. Once there, she would start searching all the mapped locations on her Pipboy she knew he could be.

_Whoa, we cannot separate_

_You're part of me_

_And though you're invisible_

_I'll trust the unseen_

A Lone Wanderer she may be, but she hadn't been to her house in Megaton since before the abduction. Even walking up to the big gates was an almost humbling experience. She forgot the immensity of the city. But she had also never felt so small as when she was truly alone.

A random thought that she should stop by the old vault and find her pup again before setting out to look for him crossed her mind. She almost turned from the gates, but her full bag was digging into her shoulders and she wanted to drop off some of the new gear she was carrying around.

The sheriff nodded at her as she passed. Several people acknowledged her. But she headed straight to her house and opened the door, expecting it to be empty except for the robot butler.

What she wasn't expecting was six feet of ghoul standing next to her gun locker, cleaning and repairing what was there.

_I cried out with no reply_

_And I can't feel you by my side_

_So I'll hold tight to what I know_

_You're here, and I'm never alone_

His eyes met hers and he set the assault rifle aside, hands steady even as hers shook with so much unspoken emotions. He had been here the entire time, waiting for her to return. She had searched, and he was waiting for her at her home.

That feeling that he was with her the entire time had never left and now she understood why.

Their relationship was so much more than it should have been. So much more than mere companions. The look he was giving her spoke of it as well, as he walked over and looked at her.

She didn't know what to say. So he said it for her.

"You have returned," he said, his voice borderline relieved as he looked down at her. She barely restrained her smile. "Shall I accompany you once more?"

Licking her dry lips, she nodded, trying to keep the tears from her eyes that she was with him once more.

"Yes. Let's go."

It never needed to be said. It never needed to be shown. But they both knew without the words that the most important person for either of them was the other. For her, his constant presence was the greatest reassurance. For him, her unquestioning acceptance was a balm to an injured soul.

And when they were together, she wasn't the Lone Wanderer. She could trust him to never leave her alone.

_We cannot separate_

_You're part of me_

_And though you're invisible_

_I'll trust the unseen_

_I cried out with no reply_

_And I can't feel you by my side_

_So I'll hold tight to what I know_

_You're here, and I'm never alone_


End file.
